Division I stage not too big for Robinson

Every Thanksgiving the Monmouth men's basketball team gets together for a holiday dinner and coach King Rice asks each of his players to stand up and say what they are thankful for.

Ken McMillan

Every Thanksgiving the Monmouth men's basketball team gets together for a holiday dinner and coach King Rice asks each of his players to stand up and say what they are thankful for. Some players are a bit embarrassed to open themselves up in front of family and teammates and they hold back a bit, but not Kingston's Justin Robinson.

"Justin had the whole room crying in about 30 seconds,'' Rice said. "He was just so thankful for the opportunity to play Division I basketball. He said, 'I am a 5-foot-8 kid,' and he just wanted a chance. 'I am thankful that coach would give me a chance and I am going to do everything that I can.'''

Robinson may be short in stature by college basketball standards, but not small in heart. He always knew he could play big-time basketball and now that he's been given that opportunity Robinson has made the most of it. He has started all 19 games and has guided the Hawks to nine wins so far, one shy of last year's win total. Robinson averages 9.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and ranks seventh in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with 3.7 assists per game, making him a strong candidate for all-rookie honors next month.

Robinson downplays the significance of what he's done — "My job has been OK, so far,'' he said — but he has certainly captured the attention of coaches in the MAAC.

"I think it's a great match of player for program,'' said Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore, who has faced Robinson and the Hawks twice already. "To me, he seems like he fits the way King wants him to play.''

Robinson actually wasn't on Rice's radar when the coach was scouting for talent.

"I was watching other games,'' Rice said, "and then I just kept looking over and the kid is having a great day. So you go over and say, 'Who's this kid?' Then you watch and say, 'Man, he's kind of small but he's killing.' Every time we watched him he was just good. He would out-play guys ... it didn't matter if it was a highly ranked guy or just random kid who was a long, athletic guard.''

Rice played point guard for Dean Smith at North Carolina so he has an affinity for good playmakers, and he knew he found one in Robinson, a four-year starter for Kingston and a Varsity845 all-star.

"The thing that has been so impressive with me is he is a pass-first guy,'' Rice said, "and usually when guys can score like he can score, they want to score first, but he has told me a number of times, 'Coach, I like to get my guys going first.' When you have a kid like that, it puts a smile on your face.''

Robinson helps spearhead Monmouth's full-court defenses and he gets the Hawks running on offense, which makes it harder for larger point guards to use their size advantage against him.

"He does a good job of playing fast,'' said Moore, who also recruited Robinson. "In the half-court he is very dangerous as well because he's quick. He's got a very quick first step and he can really get into the lane. If you play off him too much to honor his quickness, he's confident enough that he can make enough 3s to burn you.''

Moore and his Bobcats learned that the hard way when Robinson lit them up for 15 points and six assists in their first meeting. Quinnipiac was more aware of Robinson the second time around and held him to just four points.

Robinson said he chose Monmouth because he liked the campus, the team and the idea that he would see significant playing time right away as long as he proved himself.

"They told me as soon as I got here that they wanted me to play right away and that I would play a big role on the team,'' he said. "I wanted to play right away ... I didn't want to sit on the bench.''

The Monmouth coaching staff was impressed by the reports they heard from the older players about the way Robinson fit in.

"When he got there, he made everybody better,'' Rice said. "You could tell Justin was a good point guard and a leader because those guys follow him around, the big guys especially. To them, this kid is natural and able to lead people. The guys love playing with him. It wasn't a big, big difference in the practices compared to the other kids, but my staff and I all thought he was the kid to start.''

Robinson relishes the opportunity to lead his team, even though he's only a freshman.

"You have to rise to the occasion,'' he said.

When the opening-night lineup was announced, Robinson was elated to be a part of the starting five. Playing at Hofstra, Robinson scored 11 points, dished out five assists and picked up two steals in his college debut, an 88-84 victory. Two weeks later at St. John's, Robinson put up 15 points in a 64-54 loss. He scored a season-best 19 against Rider on Dec. 5, while his favorite game was a Dec. 10 showdown at Saint Francis of Brooklyn when he dished out a season-high nine assists, grabbed seven boards, picked off three passes and scored 10.

"I always thought I would have success at Division I,'' he said, "but it was a lot harder than I thought it was. I just had to make adjustments to my game.''

So far, Robinson has eight games of double-digit scoring and eight contests with at least five assists. He has 10 games with more assists than turnovers and has four games without a turnover.

"My game has improved a lot,'' Robinson said. "I am making better decisions with the ball. I am smarter with the ball. I can't come across half-court nonchalant anymore because they're going to run at me and trap me. My jump shot has improved a lot because getting into the lane is a lot harder.''

Robinson credits the coaching staff with helping him improve his game, and also gives thanks to his family and friends in Kingston for keeping him grounded. Robinson has taken advice from other Kingston basketball success stories, including former Siena standout and current Harlem Globetrotter Tay Fisher and Syracuse point guard Rachel Coffey.

"They tell me to be patient and don't get overwhelmed. You are going to have bad games but you have to learn how to bounce back from it,'' he said.

Robinson's outward affection for his hometown is not reserved for Thanksgiving dinner speeches.

"He talks about it all the time, where he's from,'' Rice said. "He's just proud that he can represent his family and his hometown.''

A large contingent of Kingston fans will surely make the trip on Thursday next week to Marist College when Robinson and the Hawks visit McCann Arena.

"That's going to mean a lot,'' Robinson said. "Hopefully I have a nice game.''